PHOTOS: Inside the Truman Bowling Alley

One of the most exclusive two-lane bowling alleys in America, the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley entertains thousands of White House staffers and their guests each year. President Truman, for whom it was built, had the lanes moved from the West Wing of the White House to the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as a gift to White House employees. President Richard Nixon, an avid bowler, later installed a one-lane bowling alley beneath the North Portico of the White House residence. The facility in EEOB is showing its age, as chipped lanes and worn-out shoes are still heavily relied upon to give busy staffers a few hours to eat, drink and be merry away from the public’s gaze. On July 9, the GSA posted a solicitation bid on FedBizOps to revitalize the bowling lanes, but the post was taken down later that day. According to the GSA, the bid was posted “prematurely, and the post was removed once GSA discovered the error.” The agency said it is in the process of drafting plans to refurbish the outdated facility.